A few hours after the publication of our post, Wilkins's family released a new statement about her condition, her challenges and her gratitude for the outpouring of love and support from members of the community.

We've included the complete statement below.

In the meantime, Colorado State Representative Gordon Klingenschmitt, whose controversial statements include a recent claim that gays have lost their souls due to their lifestyle, took a step toward politicizing the crime by asserting in a video on view below that the assault may have been a punishment by God for allowing abortions.

He included an especially unfortunate reference to "our pregnant women" being "ripped open."

More positive by far is the statement shared by Wilkins's loved ones. It reads:

Today marks a week since the brutal attack that nearly cost Michelle her life and ended that of her soon to be born baby Aurora. She is now out of the hospital in a safe location and accompanied by her partner Dan, is taking the first tentative steps along a long journey towards recovery and spiritual reconciliation. She is surrounded by friends and family and wishes to express her deep gratitude for all the expressions of love, kindness, and spiritual solidarity she has received from both the Longmont community and from around the world. Michelle believes her recovery is directly aided by the prayers and positive energy she is receiving.

We cannot predict what lies ahead for Michelle. We have no guidebook on how to navigate this crisis, or a checklist on what to do next. We wish there were. What we can say is that we have all been deeply moved by the many people who have reached out to Michelle and her partner to share their own personal stories of tragedies they’ve endured and how they managed to first just survive and then eventually start to heal. That alone has given us the strength to get up and face each day. You’ve touched our hearts and souls and we thank you so much.

For the many members of the media who have reached out to us, we thank you for your continuing interest in Michelle’s well being and the civility that has marked almost all the reporting. We hope you understand our continuing desire for privacy as we try and regroup, pull our lives together, and focus on Michelle’s well-being and recovery. There may be a time in the future where she chooses to share her story, but now is not the moment.

Finally, for the many people who continue to generously reach out to assist Michelle with her recovery and expenses, they can contribute online at a social media site set up by her family:

By the way, donations in Wilkins's name continue to accumulate at the GoFundMe.com page. At this time yesterday, the goal was listed as $50,000, with more than $42,000 having been pledged.

Today, the goal has been bumped up to $75,000. At this writing, the amount donated is in excess of $65,000.

As for Klingenschmitt, we introduced you to him in November 2014, shortly after he was voted into office. Here's an excerpt from that post:

Klingenschmitt, nicknamed "Dr. Chaps," prevailed in House District 15, a slice of El Paso County so conservative that a Republican candidate would probably have to slap a baby on live TV to lose — and if the tot was the offspring of a Democrat, that still might not be enough. But even by the area's standards, he's on the fringes.

In addition to being behind the website PrayInJesusName.com, which boasts of sending "petitions to God & government to defend religious freedom," he's known for YouTube sermons in which he makes assorted claims that have provided fodder aplenty for the progressive outfit Right Wing Watch.

Among the Klingenschmitt salvos shared by the group — assertions that "Obamacare causes cancer," the Bible "commands people to own guns in order to 'defend themselves against left-wing crazies,'" and the FCC is "allowing demonic spirits to 'molest and visually rape your children.'"

Representative Gordon Klingenschmitt.

YouTube file photo

Even compared to his previous proclamations, Klingenschmitt's piece about Wilkins, reportedly shared on his Pray in Jesus Name program yesterday, is extreme — not to mention ill-timed,

As noted by Right Wing Watch, Klingenschmitt sketches out the basics of the attack on Wilkins before making reference to the Biblical passage Hosea 13:16, which reads, "The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God/They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their pregnant women ripped open.”

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"I wonder if there is prophetic significance to America today in that scripture," he said afterward. "This is the curse of God upon America for our sin of not protecting innocent children in the womb and part of that curse for our rebellion against God as a nation is that our pregnant women are ripped open."